Opening Moves
by Drafonis
Summary: The sequel to Broken Heart. The team decides to take the war into the real world. But personal situations bust in, and the team faces their biggest challenge yet with one less member. FINISHED, NEXT INSTALLMENT WILL BE UP SHORTLY
1. Planning: Ulrich

Opening Moves

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A/N: This is a sequel to "Broken Heart." This covers the first six months of the final battle between the team and X.A.N.A. Of course, there is a lot more Ulrich x Yumi and Jeremie x Aelita romance than in "Broken Heart." This is more of an Action/Romance than a Tragedy, although there are some angsty scenes, mainly Ulrich's dreams and the final battle covered in this story.

Disclaimer: Code Lyoko and the respective likenesses are copyright Antefilms. If I owned them, this would be an episode, not a fanfiction.

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Chapter One: Planning: Ulrich

_Ulrich's Point of View_

It was a nice, warm Saturday. We were at Yumi's house. Ever since we saved Yumi from the clones, Jeremie was spending hours in his room, building some contraption that he claimed would "give us twice as powerful."

"We need to get ready. The clones are probably sensing our actions. If we are to defeat them, we need to become twice as strong." Jeremie said, pulling some weird box on a strap out of his book bag.

"Um, Jeremie, what is that?" I asked, pointing disgustedly at the box.

"This is the most important of my inventions so far. It will allow you to use your virtualized forms without transporting into Lyoko. But there's a problem with it." Jeremie said.

Dreading the answer, I asked what the problem was.

"Because it's operation is similar to how X.A.N.A. brought monsters into the real world when we first materialized Aelita, you will still be killable." Jeremie said.

"Great. So we get weapons, but it is dangerous to use them?" I asked.

"That's correct, Ulrich." Replied Jeremie.

"So what are we waiting for? All we're risking is our lives." Odd said brightly. I didn't find it too funny, considering what I went through trying to go back to the night Yumi had been killed and prevent her death.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about something else." Yumi said. She seemed anxious to talk about something in particular, so we all said okay. Then again, we didn't like talking about the war too long.

"So, is there anothing specific you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Oh, well I... That is..." Yumi said, nervous. I could tell that it was something she didn't like, so I put my hand on her hand. "I may have to leave for three months. My dad's company opened a new branch in England, and he has to help set it up." (A/N: Does Yumi's father _have_ a company? I'm not sure, so I'm saying he does for the purposes of this story.)

"That's okay, Yumi. After all, your life can't revolve around fighting X.A.N.A, right?" I asked calmly, but inwardly I was frustrated. After all, here we were getting ready for the biggest battle, and one of our fighters will be in England. Of course, that wasn't considering the relationship we had. What if Yumi found someone else in England?

"Wow, that's real tough. Wish your father luck from me, Yumi." Jeremie said.

I looked at Odd, and I could tell he was going to say something that would offend Yumi. Quickly, I put my hand on his mouth to stop the insult, but his eyes told everything. He was angry at Yumi for, as he thought, "deserting" us.

Suddenly, we heard a loud crash outside. There was a clone outside throwing garbage cans at my house.

"So, what do you think, Jeremie? Shall we test your new materialized virtualization things?" Odd asked.

"Okay. Be careful, everyone. No heroics. Remember, we are in a situation where our lives are at stake." Jeremie said.

Jeremie gave us the weird boxes, and we turned them on. Immediately, we took the forms we had in Lyoko. When we barged out of Yumi's house, the clone looked at us with a mix of surprise and amusement. He had never seen such forms... except in Lyoko.

Odd fired a laser arrow at the clone, which dodged it. Then, Yumi and I charged at the clone, weapons drawn. Yumi jumped and threw her fan, which cut the clone's neck. I hadn't gotten the chance to attack. We took the boxes off and handed them to Jeremie.

"So, when do you think you'll be coming back, Yumi?" I asked, blushing slightly.

"I don't know, my father never told me." Yumi said.

What we didn't realize was that there was someone on the roof across from from us with a rifle in his hand. As we talked, he set up his shot. We heard a soft puff and I felt a sharp prickle on the back of my neck. The last thing I saw before blacking out was Yumi standing over me, trying to figure out what had happened.

When I came to, I was surprised. I was lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by a veritable garden of flowers. And, when I looked to my left, I saw that Yumi was sleeping on a chair next to my bed. Not wanting to wake her, I closed my eyes. But it seemed my gesture was unheeded by the medical staff.

When the video monitors in my room showed that I had woken, the medical staff rushed to get what they needed to get done with patients who had been knocked out by chemical means: checking to make sure that the chemicals were no longer there.

The nurses ushered Yumi out of the room and then began checking to see if there was any reason to worry. I was sure there was none. But I was very wrong in that train of thought.

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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. I understand I left a ton of problems (especially with my last sentence), but there is a lot of chapters left. This won't be a short one-shot converted into a longer story, but, as you may have guessed by the title, it won't complete the plotline started in "Broken Heart". 


	2. Planning: Yumi

Opening Moves

A/N: I realize that some of the dialogue is recycled, but that's because it's the same scene. After all, unless someone hears something differently, there would be little alteration in a face-to-face conversation just because you switch views.

This chapter is from Yumi's point of view.

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Chapter 2

Planning: Yumi

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We were at my house, planning our campaign against X.A.N.A. Jeremie showed us a new device he had made that allows us to take on our virtual personas into the real world.

At the same time, I was busy trying to decide what to tell the others about the fact that I would have to move away for three months. My dad's company had opened a new branch in England, and he had to check up on the workers already shipped there.

"But, there's a problem with it." Jeremie said. He had been speaking for a while, or so it seemed. Finally, I decided to check what he had said when this line caught my attention.

"What's the problem?" asked Ulrich.

"Because it's operation is similar to how X.A.N.A. brought monsters into the real world when we first materialized Aelita, you will still be killable." Jeremie said.

"Great. So we get weapons, and it's dangerous to use them?" asked Ulrich, a hint of gloom in his voice. Come to think of it, he did seem a bit... distracted during the last X.A.N.A. attack, and when I was devirtualized, he broke down.

"That's correct, Ulrich." Jeremie stated simply.

"So what are we waiting for? All we're risking is our lives." Odd said, and I again caught that air of gloom on Ulrich's face.

I decided to tell them about my move. "Well, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about something else." I caught Odd nod slightly, and Ulrich stare at me confusedly.

"Oh, well I... that is..." I began, unable to get the words out. Suddenly, I felt a touch on my hand. Ready to tell Odd off, I looked around. It was Ulrich who had touched my hand. "I may have to leave for three months. My dad's company opened a new branch in England, and he has to help set it up."

"That's okay, Yumi. After all, your life can't revolve around fighting X.A.N.A, right?" Ulrich said. But his face told a different story. He was frustrated at something, and I had a feeling that it had something to do with what I said.

"Wow, that's real tough. Wish your father luck from me, Yumi." Jeremie said.

I looked around and saw that Odd was opening his mouth to speak, and Ulrich was moving to clamp his hand on Odd's face.

Suddenly, we heard a crash outside that sounded like metal striking wood. When we checked what it was, we saw a scene that was strange. There was a X.A.N.A. clone throwing garbage cans at Ulrich's house.

"So, what do you think, Jeremie? Shall we test your new materialized virtualization things?" Odd asked.

"Okay. Be careful, everyone. No heroics. Remember, we are in a situation where our lives are at stake." Jeremie said.

We activated the "materialized-virtualization things" and rushed the clone. I saw Odd shoot three laser arrows at the clone, but it dodged rather effortlessly. Ulrich and I ran at it, weapons ready. I threw my fan with a quick and smooth wrist flick, which killed the clone quickly.

We deactivated the boxes and handed them back to Jeremie. We didn't need them now that the battle was over.

"So, when will you be coming back, Yumi?" Ulrich asked, and I noticed a bright red tinge on his cheek. I smiled lightly at this question.

"I don't know, my father never told me." I replied.

In about three seconds, Ulrich fell down on the ground, and there was a weird dart-like protrusion in the back of his neck.

"Call an ambulance. Hide everything that has to do with Lyoko. We cannot have the police discovering anything that suggests our involvement with it." I said in a commanding tone.

Jeremie ran to call the ambulance while Odd and I set about picking up the boxes, computers, and even cell phones.

In a few hours, Ulrich was at the hospital, and I was at home. I decided that I couldn't go with Father now that Ulrich was hurt. I decided to pose the question over dinner.

"Mother, Father, I have to talk to you. I cannot go to England. My friends and I are doing something very important, and I need to stay at Kadic while you'll be in England." I said.

"Yumi, you are going to England and that's final." My father said.

"Father, Ulrich's hurt. How would you react if someone real close was away when you needed them?" I retaliated.

"I never had such a situation, and am not in a position to answer that question." Father said.

"But I am _in _such a situation right now." I retorted.

"Yumi, you are going with your mother and myself to England!" Father bellowed.

"Father, I have to stay with Ulrich and the others! They _need _me, do you understand?" I said.

My father sighed and took on a thoughtful face, then looked at my mom. "What do you think?"

"Hmm... I guess she could stay if she wanted to. However, you have to check with the principal." My mom said.

"Okay, Yumi. You win." Father said.

"Thanks." I said, hugging my parents.

Later, I went to visit Ulrich in the hospital. His life signs were getting more stable, so he'd probably survive. The only problem I knew was that, if X.A.N.A. were to attack, Ulrich would be an easy target. All he would have to do is cut the generators in the hospital, because he was still on life support. When I told Jeremie and Odd this, they decided to have someone in Lyoko at all times, ready to stop the activated tower before it was too late. I was thinking about this when I fell asleep.

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A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but there will be some excitement soon. I'm going to hold off until Ulrich has to go to Lyoko to actually tell what's wrong with him (I'm evil this way. I want to make the reader confused when something like this happens.) 


	3. The Attack: Ulrich

**Opening Moves**

A/N: I understand that it's tiring to see the same event three times, so I'm probably going to only tell this segment from Ulrich and Yumi's perspective, since there's little action going on right now. Besides, I don't know how to capture Odd and Jeremie's thought easily, so I'm probably going to stick to characters I have experience writing from. Also, there's going to be a look-back into "Broken Heart", but it's going to have a small change.

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Chapter 3

The Attack: Ulrich

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"Okay, Ms. Ishiyama, it's okay for you to come in." I heard the nurse say through the open door. I was in a semi-conscious state after they used anesthesia, because the dart wound had to be stitched shut to prevent blood loss.

Yumi walked in, telling the nurse thank you. "Hello, Ulrich." She said, smiling.

"Hey, Yumi." I said, a small smile forming. Then I fell asleep.

I was walking down the street toward Yumi's house, hand-in-hand with Yumi. Suddenly, I heard a movement. Two huge men attacked us. Yumi fell on the ground, and the bigger guy began pummeling her. The smaller one attacked me. Suddenly, I found myself looking at the bigger guy pummeling me. I was watching the attack from Yumi's perspective.

I woke with a start, panting. I understood what the dream meant.

"Ulrich? What's wrong?" Yumi asked.

"Nothing, Yumi. Just a bad dream." I replied shakily.

A few weeks later, I was out of the hospital. They told me to take it easy for a while, avoid doing any risky stuff like sports. Little did any of us know that I would soon be forced to consider exactly what would be considered "risky".

Unbeknownst to us, there was a spark in the school. A large black cloud of smoke left the school and headed out into the parking lot. It entered a car engine, starting the car up with a roar. The owner of the car, who happened to be the principal, ran out to stop what he thought was a carjacking. The possessed car spotted the principal, and drove into him, knocking him into a wall. The car then sped away from the school.

Meanwhile, Yumi and I were walking in the park that was by her house. It was Saturday, so we didn't need to worry about being off school grounds since we both were day students now. Yumi heard it first. A steady roar that was quickly identified as a car engine closing in. That was strange, since the park was closed to cars on weekends (A/N: I'm not sure if this is true, but the park by my house is, and I can only go by that fact.)

"Ulrich, get behind cover!" Yumi shouted, and we both hid behind the bushes lining the road.

I raised my head to see who the driver was, and maybe even get a license number. That's when I understood what the car was, because there was no driver. Under my breath, I muttered, "X.A.N.A." I took out my cell phone and called Jeremie. "Do you see anything in Lyoko, Jer?"

"No, why'd you ask, Ulrich?" Jeremie asked.

"Because there's a car driving around the park, and there's no driver in it. It doesn't seem to be a car that the driver jumped out of, since the doors are closed, and it stopped about three times. Also, there's no hill where I am." I said.

"Okay. I'll ask Aelita if she felt any pulsations." Jeremie answered.

A few minutes later, Jeremie called and said that there were no pulsations anywhere in Lyoko. Something was wrong. Cars don't normally drive by themselves, yet there was one doing exactly that without any explanation.

"Have her check again, Jer. Something's up, I can feel it." I said.

"Will do, Ulrich. Be careful, and, if Yumi's with you, you best stick together. That way we don't waste any time." Jeremie said.

"Right, Jer. The car has moved away for the time being." I said, as I ran across the street toward the bush that Yumi was hiding in. Suddenly, the car turned around and charged toward me.

"Ulrich!" Yumi shouted, running toward me.

I was oblivious to the fact that the car was heading toward me until Yumi shouted. I motioned for Yumi to head back to her bush, and she complied. I decided to try something different. I ran at the car. When it almost hit me, I jumped up, landing on the car's hood. Immediately, it began racing around the park, trying to throw me off (similar to that commercial where a man jumps on the car and rides it like a bull into a gladiatorial-style arena).

I saw, in the corner of my eye, Yumi calling someone, presumably Jeremie or Odd. But there was no time to worry about that now. One wrong move and I could fall off. The car drove over a rock, throwing it into the air. I caught it and began hitting the car with the rock. Then, I jumped off before it drove into the lake.

I ran back to the bush where Yumi was hiding. When I got there, she was telling her cell phone (probably talking to Jeremie) that I had just caused the car to drive into the lake. She then listened for a few more seconds and hung up.

"Jeremie thinks it'll attack us again soon. We'd better get out of here, Ulrich." Yumi said, to which I replied with a nod.

We ran out of the park and toward the factory. My cell phone rang. It was Jeremie.

"Aelita located the pulsations. Odd's being virtualized right now." Jeremie said.

"Okay, tell him that we'll be there in a few minutes. If Jim catches us, there's nothing he can do since it's Saturday." I said.

"Right." Jeremie said.

We ran into the sewers leading toward the factory. Picking up the skateboards, we rode toward the elevator.

When we got there, Jeremie was sitting at the computer console, watching the battle in Lyoko.

"What's going on?" Yumi asked.

"They're in the desert region. There're about six Blocks and four Hornets. Odd's down to 50 life points, and Aelita's been knocked out." Jeremie said.

"Right. We're going in." I said, and Yumi nodded her agreement as we went toward the elevator leading into the Scanner Room.

"I'll put you down right behind the Blocks. That should give you an advantage." Jeremie said, as we stepped into the scanners. We heard Jeremie say "Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, Ulrich. Transfer Yumi. Transfer Ulrich. Virtualization!"

Then we were right behind the Blocks. Suddenly, I heard Jeremie's voice resonate through my consciousness.

"Ulrich, there was a problem during the transfer. You'll lose life points whenever you use your powers, and will be trapped in the Void upon devirtualization." He said.

"Damn…" I muttered, sizing up the situation. They outnumbered us by more than two times, and Odd was now down to 10 life points. I decided to try to get the Blocks quickly.

"Yumi, you help Odd with Hornets. I'll take the Blocks out and help you." I said. She nodded her agreement.

I snuck up on one Block and stabbed it in the X.A.N.A. symbol, destroying it. But a Hornet saw me, and fired a laser. It hit my leg.

"Ulrich, you're at 90 life points. Still stable, but be careful." Jeremie said.

Right when the Hornet was about to fire, it exploded. Yumi had thrown a fan at it, cutting the symbol and destroying it.

Meanwhile, I ran through three Blocks, destroying them. That left two Blocks and two Hornets (Odd had hit a Hornet as well.)

"Um, guys, we've got a problem. There's a huge group of monsters incoming. I'd say about thirty Blocks, twenty Hornets, ten Roachsters, and two MegaTanks." Jeremie said. "This must be a pretty important to send sixty-two monsters. There's a deactivated tower at forty degrees. Go there."

"Will do, Einstein." Odd said, and we ran toward the tower that Jeremie had pointed out.

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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. More will be posted later, but I'm tired at the moment and am dead-set at getting this up now to compensate for the fact that I won't be able to post for two days (I have to move and register at the new school.) I'll see if I can make it so that I can post the next chapter soon as the network at home is back up.

Then, after September 5th, I will have delays for up to three months because I want to get a scholarship for a college in another country, and that's real hard to get.


	4. The Attack: Yumi

Opening Moves

A/N: I'm not going to do the hospital scene since it's not really important in the story and I want to go slightly

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Chapter 4

The Attack: Yumi

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Ulrich and I were taking a stroll through the park. It was a Saturday, and the park was closed to cars. Therefore, we were biding our time, not wanting the moment to end. Suddenly, we heard a loud roar coming our way. It sounded like the principal's car.

"Ulrich, get behind cover!" I yelled, ad we hid in opposite bushes. I saw Ulrich raise his head over the bush line slightly, presumably to see who the crazy driver was. He kept his head visible for about six seconds after the car drove by, and the license plate number matched the principal's car. Ulrich then lowered his head behind his bush, and I saw him dial a number on his cellular phone. I guess he must have noticed that there was no driver, so I didn't call Jeremie. The line would've been busy anyway.

A half a minute later, Ulrich decided to run for the bush I was hiding behind. I guess Jeremie told Ulrich to stay with me, and I felt my cheeks get slightly reddish from the thought of hiding behind a bush wit Ulrich. But I was snapped out of my daydreams (A/N: I guess it would be daydreams, even though it's night) when I noticed that the car had turned around and was heading on a collision course with Ulrich.

"Ulrich!" I yelled, running at Ulrich, planning to knock Ulrich out of the way. But Ulrich apparently had something else in mind, for he motioned for me to head back to my bush. Realizing the urgency of what was going on, I ran back to the bush I had hid behind.

Suddenly, I saw Ulrich run straight at the car, and I felt my heart beat faster. _"No, not that way, Ulrich!"_ I thought frantically, hoping he could somehow here my unspoken warning. At the last second, he jumped up, landing on the hood of the car.

Immediately, the car began trying to throw him off and run him over, and it drove off. I took out my cell phone and dialed Jeremie's phone number.

"Yes, Yumi?" I heard Jeremie say on the phone.

"Ulrich's currently riding on the car. I can't see what's going on, but I don't like it. It's probably X.A.N.A. Has Aelita felt any pulsations?" I said.

"Nothing yet, Yumi, but I've spotted something that may be an activated tower stuck somewhere between the mountain and desert regions. Unfortunately, when I told Aelita, she said that that's impossible since there's not enough space between those regions to fit a tower, unless Lyoko reconfigured without Aelita noticing it. I'm currently running a search through Lyoko's memory, but it's going to take some time." Jeremie said.

Suddenly, I heard a splash, indicating that the car had driven into the lake.

"Jeremie, better hurry. Ulrich may just be under water right now." I said nervously.

"Okay, will do… I've found it. It's an underground region that has only one access point. It's a small rock that can only be moved in a certain manner." Jeremie said.

"Okay. Ulrich heading this way," I began, seeing Ulrich running toward me. "I'll tell him what's going on."

"Okay. Odd's with me, and I'm sending him in." Jeremie said.

"Right. Tell him we're on our way." I said.

"Also, you'd better move fast. The car will probably attack again soon." He said.

"Okay." I said, and hung up.

"Jeremie thinks it'll attack again soon. We'd better get out of here." I said, and we ran to the factory. Ulrich's cell rang.

I heard Jeremie talking, and then Ulrich said, "Okay, tell him that we'll be there in a few minutes. If Jim catches us, there's nothing he can do since it's Saturday." Then Jeremie said something, and Ulrich hung up.

When we reached the school, Ulrich and I headed down the path to the factory. At the computer room, Jeremie was sitting at the computer console, watching the battle on Lyoko.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"They're in the desert region. There are six Blocks and four Hornets. Odd's down to 50 life points and Aelita's been knocked out."

"Right. We're going in." Ulrich said, and I nodded in agreement. We ran toward the elevator. We then descended to the Scanner Room.

"I'll put you down right behind the Blocks. That should give you an advantage." Jeremie said as we stepped into the scanners. "Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, Ulrich. Transfer, Yumi. Transfer Ulrich. Virtualization."

We ended up behind the Blocks, just as Jeremie had promised. But there was something wrong, and I knew it.

"Ulrich, there was a problem during the transfer. You'll lose life points whenever you use your powers, and you'll be stuck in the Void upon devirtualization." Jeremie said.

I heard Ulrich mutter "damn…" as he looked around. There was more than two times as many monsters as us, and Jeremie had reported that Odd was down to 10 life points.

"Yumi, you help Odd with Hornets. I'll take out the Blocks and help you." Ulrich said, and I nodded. It was too risky for Ulrich to fight four Hornets, what with the fact that he would essentially be dead if he were to be devirtualized.

I targeted the nearest Hornet and threw my fan at it. It was a direct hit. There were three Hornets left. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ulrich take out a Block. But a Hornet shot his leg.

"Ulrich, you're down to 90 life points. Still stable, but be careful." Jeremie said, as I threw a fan at the offending Hornet.

The battle raged for half a minute, and then Jeremie's voice interrupted us.

"Um, guys, we've got a problem. There's a huge group of monsters incoming. I'd say about thirty Blocks, twenty Hornets, ten Roachsters, and two MegaTanks." Jeremie said. "This must be a pretty important to send sixty-two monsters. There's a deactivated tower at forty degrees. Go there."

"Will do, Einstein." Odd said, as we ran toward the tower that Jeremie had pointed out. Ulrich was carrying Aelita, since he was the only one of us who could not fight in a ranged situation. Still, despite the logic of the decision, I could not help but feel a pang of jealousy.

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A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had finished the move-in two days ago and my network was up since the 3rd, but I had a case of writer's block. Also, I fixed a minor grammatical error in "The Attack: Ulrich". I had said that Ulrich would loose life points, when I meant lose.

Also, there is another Code Lyoko fic I'm making. It'll be a strict drama/romance, no action in it. It's about what would happen if the gang's parents found out about Lyoko. I am naming it "Hope Lost" because of how it starts off. Like this one, it'll be YU.


	5. The Battle for the Tower: Ulrich

Opening Moves

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A/N: This may be the last scene for "Opening Moves". Don't worry, that doesn't mean that the series is over, and, don't forget, there's also Yumi's P.O.V. for this scene.

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Chapter 5

The Battle for the Tower: Ulrich

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"Guys, watch out! There's a group of Hornets breaking off!" Jeremie shouted. Sure enough, about three of them had vanished from the horde, and were heading toward our left flank, shooting lasers as they went.

Suddenly, I tripped over a rock lying in my path. Silently, I cursed myself for not noticing it. I saw all three charge up their lasers. Looking at the main horde, I saw a Megatank begin charging it's own shot, and so was a group of three Blocks. I closed my eyes, waiting for the last pain I would feel.

But it never came. Yumi had thrown her fans in such a way that all of the attacking monsters were destroyed. She then grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"You okay, Ulrich?" she asked, and I thought I saw a faint red tinge in her cheeks.

"Yeah..." I said, daydreaming slightly.

"Um, hey, lovebirds! I'd hate to break it up, but we still have to worry about getting to the tower!" I heard Odd say, just as he was hit by a laser from one of the Blocks.

"Odd, be careful! You have 60 life points left!" Jeremie yelled.

"That's plenty! _Laser arrow!_" Odd replied, shooting an arrow at the Block that had shot him.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, causing me to stagger to the ground.

"Ulrich, what's wrong? You just... stopped!" Jeremie said.

"I don't know. I just felt a sharp stab of pain!" I said, biting my lip to keep myself from screaming.

"Something's wrong. There's no way a small fall can do that!" Jeremie shouted.

"Odd, carry Aelita. I've got Ulrich. We're going to make a break for the tower." I heard Yumi say. "I think it may have to do with the sniper attack."

"But, Yumi, the nurse said that Ulrich was healed!" Odd said.

"Anyway, we'll just get slaughtered if we stay here." Yumi said.

"Yumi's got a point, Odd." Jeremie said. "Head for the tower fast. Watch your footing, but don't stop or slow down. Move in an unpredictable fashion."

I felt hands lift me up. Yumi and Odd then ran straight for the tower. Around me, I saw lasers fly by. For three minutes this went on. Finally, we entered the tower. For some reason, the monsters that were surrounding it just stood there, not shooting. Yumi put me down next to Aelita, and I staggered weakly to my feet. I then fell back down, and I saw no more.

When I woke up, I could feel that I was still in the tower, but that Yumi, Odd, and Aelita were not there. Scared, I looked around. They were in the center of the platform, typing something into a holographic keyboard under Aelita's direction. I staggered to my feet and walked over.

"Ulrich, you're awake!" Yumi exclaimed, hugging me.

"I know, Yumi. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to suffocate me." I said.

"Oops, sorry." Yumi said, blushing furiously.

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded throughout the tower. The monsters had opened fire again.

"Let's go, everyone. We have to reach the activated tower." I said seriously.

We ran back out of the tower. Immediately, the monsters began shooting us. I blocked most of the shots that came my way. Jumping onto the first monster I found, a Block, I stabbed it in the X.A.N.A. eye.

"Impact!" I yelled, jumping off the Block. It exploded into digital pieces, which vanished.

For five minutes, this continued. But we finally destroyed all of the monsters. But Odd was devirtualized, and Yumi was down to 50 life points. I was slightly better off, with 60 life points. If another horde were to attack, we wouldn't make it. But the activated tower was in sight, so I wasn't worried. Aelita was already in the tower, so we just stood guard.

I realized that the school prom was tomorrow, and I hadn't asked Yumi yet. I decided that this would be a perfect time.

"Yumi?" I asked, blushing slightly.

"Yes, Ulrich?" she replied.

"Do you... Err... Want to go to the prom with me?" I asked.

"Sure, I'd love to, Ulrich!" Yumi said enthusiastically, blushing.

"You... You mean it?" I asked.

"Yes, I mean it, Ulrich." Yumi said, and she wrapped her arms around me. Then she leaned in, and I felt her lips touch mine. I felt my heart beat faster the longer the kiss lasted. We stayed like this until I felt the familiar sensation of the return trip to the past.

A few hours later (or earlier, if you understand what I mean), Sissy approached me, smiling. I let out a groan, but I decided to break the news to her.

"Ulrich dear, would you like to go to the prom with me?" Sissy asked, and I could tell that her hopes were up since Yumi wasn't with me. She was shopping for clothes to wear for the prom.

"No, I would not like to go to the prom with you. For your information, I am going to the prom with Yumi." I said flatly.

"You... You are!?" Sissy shrieked, and I could tell that I had hurt her feelings. But I didn't care at this time. All that mattered to me was that she saw that she stood no chance against Yumi. Maybe now she wouldn't keep trying to ask me out.

Sissy ran away from me, crying her eyes out. I later found out that she had attempted to get into a locked broom closet, but Jim caught her and gave her detention for a week. Even the principal agreed that Jim was justified, though Sissy tried to appeal to him.

On the night of the prom, I stopped by at Yumi's house. We were to walk together to the prom. There was a nice, full moon. Before walking to the school, I lightly kissed Yumi on the cheek.

When we arrived at the school, we met up with Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita. Aelita had been materialized because Jeremie had refused to go to the prom without her. Only Odd was left out, but he didn't seem the least bit upset about it, though I suspected that was an act so that we wouldn't feel guilty.

---

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. This was a chapter that I completely enjoyed writing because it was a direct contrast to how I started this series.

If the next chapter isn't posted by tomorrow, there will be a week delay because the new school is really pushing on my free time (we were already assigned two essays!) Plus, I'm planning on joining the school clubs and teams, such as the soccer team.


	6. The Dance: Odd

**Opening Moves**

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A/N: This chapter will be a small break from the usual. It will be from Odd's point of view (since he is rather neglected in this story). This will take place during the dance that chapter 5 ended on, but it will have some action (not on Lyoko, though, since I don't want the dance to be interrupted by X.A.N.A.) The next chapter will be the retelling of chapter 5 from Yumi's point of view.

This will have two OCs that will be important later on in the story.

---

Chapter 6

The Dance

Odd's Point of View

---

I watched sadly as my friends went to the dance floor. Ulrich was with Yumi, and Jeremie was with Aelita. Realizing that they would feel guilty, I plastered on a fake-content face. I knew how much they loved each other, so it wouldn't be fair to bother them with my sadness.

The DJ put on a slow song. I think he may have noticed that there were a lot of lovebirds on the dance floor, since all the other songs were heavy metal. I began looking around the gymnasium, looking for the food table. If I couldn't dance, I may as well eat. It was then that I noticed her.

She was tall, probably even taller than Ulrich. She had long, black hair that went down to her hips. Immediately, I fell in love with her. Deciding that I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, I decided to walk up to her. However, there were two eyes trained on me, watching my every move.

"Hey. My name's Odd. What's yours?" I asked her.

"My name's none of your concern. But if you _really _want to know, it's Marianne." She said.

"I see that you're here alone." I said.

"I don't want anyone with me. Now, please leave. I've got some thinking to do." Marianne said.

I left her, realizing that my plan didn't work. I spotted someone walking toward me. It was a boy. I noticed that he was tall, strong-looking, and appeared angry.

_"Uh-oh..."_ I thought. I felt myself shaking, because he looked like he could beat me into a pulp and actually wanted to.

"What were you doing with my girl!?" he yelled, loud enough for everyone to hear above the quiet music.

"Sorry, I... uh... I didn't know that she was your girl..." I mumbled.

"Don't lie to me!" he yelled, throwing a right-handed punch at me, which I dodged. But his second punch hit me. I flew back onto the gym floor and slid about three feet.

"Odd, are you all right?" I heard Ulrich's voice say as I staggered to my feet. I could feel that blood was dripping down my lip. I also felt like one of my ribs were broken.

"Yeah, I'm all right..." I said, unwilling to show weakness. I ran at the boy, arm drawn back. But he blocked it and threw me to the ground. Then, he twisted my arm, breaking it.

I threw my leg out to trip him, but he jumped over it. That's when the headmaster noticed the commotion (A/N: I know, this level of fight would really have been caught way earlier, but I don't think it's that important.) He ran over and broke us up.

"Brian, I'm disappointed in you. I told you numerous times not to fight. And Odd, I'm disappointed in you too. You are both suspended from Kadic. Also, you are to leave the premises immediately. I hope this will teach you a lesson." The headmaster said.

"How long are we punished for?" Brian asked contemptuously.

"Until I tell you otherwise." He replied, walking away.

"Alright, you heard him. Get out of here!" Jim yelled.

"But, Jim, I can't walk real well." I said in pain.

"I'll take him to the infirmary, Jim." Ulrich said.

"No, the nurse can't mend broken ribs and arms. I'll call the hospital. But it'll be on your expense, Odd." Jim said.

Ulrich helped me up, and we walked outside.

"What was that about, Odd?" he asked.

"I talked to this girl a few minutes ago. He saw it and got jealous." I replied.

"Seems a little dangerous, all this over a girl..." Ulrich said thoughtfully, accidentally loosening his grip on me. I fell to the ground, right on my broken arm.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, as a sharp stab of pain went through my arm. That's when I noticed that Yumi had gone with us, along with Jeremie and Aelita. I smiled slightly, trying to pass off my scream as a joke.

Finally, we reached the infirmary. The nurse told me to sit down on a chair, as though I could do anything else by myself. I saw her head over to the telephone and dial the hospital.

"Hello? I need an ambulance over at Kadic Junior High, I have a student here with what seems to be a broken arm, a fractured leg, and a cracked rib... You're dispatching an ambulance here right now?... Great." The nurse said.

Then the ambulance arrived. I felt myself being lifted onto a stretcher and then being rolled into the ambulance.

"I'm sorry, but you kids cannot come with him. He may have something slightly worse than just what the nurse says, and the personnel in the back will be working on trying to find out what it is." I heard a voice say. It sounded like a man in his early fifties. Immediately, I felt my heart race. What the nurse said I had is bad enough. "Worse" would mean organ damage as well...

"Deploy the anesthetics." A hooded doctor ordered, withdrawing a sharp needle from a cabinet. I felt a small pain as the needle was inserted, and again when the medication entered my bloodstream. Then everything went blank.

---

A/N: Sorry for the rather strange chapter. It, however, will have significance later on in the story. If you want to try to guess what I had in mind, focus on the strength that Brian displayed while fighting Odd, the title of this sequel, and this entry's summary. However, I doubt you will be able to figure out what Brian is unless you look real deep into this chapter and also chapter 1 of "Broken Heart."


	7. The Battle for the Tower: Yumi Part 1

Opening Moves

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A/N: Now, it's back into the usual routine for this story. I may end this part of the series with a Jeremie-centric chapter, but that's for later. By the way, if the wording seems a little harsh, it's because I'm not in the best of moods right now (then again, that's the way it was when I wrote the first chapter of "Broken Heart", except for a different reason.)

---

Chapter 7

The Battle on the Bridge: Yumi

---

"Guys, watch out! There's a group of Hornets breaking off!" Jeremie yelled. I instinctively turned around and threw my fan at one, which dodged it. The swarm headed for our left flank.

I caught a flash of something moving in the corner of my eye. Turning, horrified, I saw Ulrich fall down, apparently tripping over a rock. A laser hit me, but it sent me closer to Ulrich. I saw the three Hornets that had broken away begin to charge lasers. Meanwhile, a Megatank was charging up it's laser. I realized that they were all aiming for Ulrich, and if they hit him, it's game over for him, this time permanently.

Immediately, I jumped in front of Ulrich protectively, and let both my fans fly. One fan cut through all the Hornets. The other caught the Megatank in the X.A.N.A. symbol. Both exploded into pieces.

I then reached down and grabbed Ulrich's hand, pulling him up. "You okay?" I asked, and I knew that I was blushing slightly.

"Yeah..." Ulrich said faintly. I was unsure if it was because I was holding his hand, or if it was something bad from the sniper attack.

"Um, hey, lovebirds! I'd hate to break it up, but we still have to worry about getting to the tower!" I heard Odd say, and then a loud "oomph." Odd was hit.

"Odd, be careful! You only have 60 life points left!" Jeremie shouted.

I spotted a Crab heading toward Ulrich, so I threw a fan at it. It's top exploded, and then the legs fell down.

"That's plenty! _Laser arrow!_" Odd yelled, shooting an arrow at a Block, destroying it.

I heard Ulrich gasp in pain. I tried to find the culprit, but all the monsters were shooting at Odd's end of the line. However, I noticed that Ulrich was on the ground, clutching his shoulder.

"Ulrich, what's wrong? You just... stopped!" Jeremie said, and I noticed a tinge of some unidentifiable emotion.

"I don't know! I just felt a sharp stab of pain!" Ulrich gasped, panicked apparently.

"Something's wrong. There's no way a small fall can do that!" Jeremie shouted.

"Odd, carry Aelita. I've got Ulrich. We're going to make a break for the tower. I think it may have to do with the sniper attack." I said, business-like.

"But, Yumi, the nurse said he was healed!" Odd said.

"Anyway, we'll just get slaughtered if we stay here." I said.

"Yumi's got a point, Odd. Head for the tower fast. Watch your footing, but don't stop or slow down. Move in an unpredictable fashion." Jeremie said matter-of-factly.

I picked Ulrich up, trying my best not to faint. I was sure that, in the real world, my heart would be beating faster. When I finished picking him up, I caught a flash of Odd picking Aelita up. I realized that now was not the time, so I began running, Odd running alongside me. I saw the laser bolts of the monsters flying by me, striking the tower so hard I was afraid that it would fall. Then we entered the tower, and emerged in what looked like another world. If I had not been in a tower that's in Lyoko before, I would've fainted from shock. I saw Odd put Aelita down on the tower's platform gently, and I put Ulrich down next to Aelita, instantly regretting it because of a pang of jealousy.

I realized that there were no bangs outside. The monsters had apparently stopped firing. They probably had something else in mind, but I wasn't sure that I cared about what they were doing. I looked back at where Aelita and Ulrich were, and I noticed that Ulrich had stood up weakly. But he fell right down and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Yumi. What's wrong?" Odd asked, startling me out of my silent reverie.

"I'm worried..." I began, but Odd interrupted me.

"About Ulrich?" he asked in an all-knowing tone.

"Yes. It's just that this whole situation is getting me very nervous. I mean, Ulrich's a strong person. What could do this to him?" I asked, worried.

"This is X.A.N.A. we're talking about. He has powers that we don't have. And, don't forget, he controls Lyoko. I'm not sure if even he realizes the amount of control he has, Yumi." Odd said soothingly.

"You're right, Odd." I said.

I saw Aelita walk up to us. She has come to, since the towers seemed to nourish her. But Ulrich still lay there, and I seriously hoped that he wasn't going to devirtualize. I didn't want to think about that.

"I need help, you two. I need to access the Lyoko database to find the exact reason for Ulrich lying there unconscious, but I don't have enough strength to access the computer logs yet. And we have to hurry, because I can feel that Ulrich doesn't have much time left before he is devirtualized. That would happen even if he does come to." Aelita said.

"Okay, we'll do that. Tell us what to do." I said fiercely. There was _no_ way I would let X.A.N.A. win and take Ulrich from us for good. I saw Odd nod silently, indicating his agreement.

"Okay. Walk to the center of the platform." Aelita said, and we did. Suddenly, what looked like a computer window appeared in front of us. "Okay. Type my name in. Because you aren't recognized, you need that. It now works just like a normal computer program would."

We immediately searched through the logs back toward the moment that we were virtualized. That's when we noticed something strange. One-fourth of Ulrich's scanned DNA was missing.

"Aelita, you better come look!" I called. The pink-haired computer girl ran up to me.

"What is it, Yumi?" asked Aelita.

"Look at Ulrich's scanned data. It's missing one-fourth of what should be, at least compared to the usual stored data." I said.

"Jeremie, did you notice anything strange occur during Ulrich's transfer, besides the failed statement?" Aelita asked.

"Umm... No, there wasn't anything else." Jeremie said.

"Hmm... Jeremie, can you check if there was anything in the scanner program that would cause one-fourth of the data to not be scanned if there was an abnormality in... The brain function, perhaps?" Aelita asked.

"I can check, but it'll take a while. There's no compiler on the supercalculator, only a decompiler, but that won't generate the program. I'll need to get my laptop and upload the data onto it, then use the compiler to generate code." Jeremie said.

"Okay. Hurry. Ulrich's running out of time, fading away." I said nervously.

---

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I found this to be a good place to end this chapter.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but school is hectic and each school day ends with me being either exhausted or so angry that I'm afraid that I'll mess up the story. But this weekend seemed to be the perfect time, as there was little homework for Monday.


	8. The Battle for the Tower: Yumi Part 2

**Opening Moves**

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A/N: This chapter will continue from where part 1 of "The Battle for the Tower: Yumi" took off. There will be some minor variations from Ulrich's story since he was delirious throughout the entire battle, even after he wakes up.

---

Chapter 8

The Battle for the Tower: Yumi (Part 2)

---

I stood there, for what seemed like hours. Ulrich was slowly turning lighter, becoming less defined. I was glad that I was in Lyoko, or, I knew, there would be tears in my eyes.

We were pinned down in the tower for what seemed like forever. The only thing that could pass the time usefully was to try to de-bug Ulrich's character before he vanished, and only Jeremie knew how to do that. I knew that he was smart, but he hadn't always come through for us. I was worried that he might fail again. That would mean that we would lose Ulrich, both as a friend and a fellow warrior.

"Guys, I finished the de-bugging program. Deploying it now. Let's hope for the best." Jeremie said, and I was filled with anticipation. "First stage clear... Second stage... It's clear."

Immediately, Ulrich's image became more dark, more clear. I turned back to the computer monitor, sighing slightly. I spotted Ulrich staggering over, and I ran up to him, hugging him. "Ulrich, you're awake!"

"I know, Yumi. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to suffocate me." Ulrich said.

"Oops, sorry." I said, and I felt that my cheeks were flaming.

Suddenly, there was a huge bang throughout the tower. The monsters were opening fire.

"Let's go, everyone. We have to reach the activated tower." Ulrich said calmly. I wondered how this was possible. We had only eliminated the first part of his ailment. He would still die if he was devirtualized.

We rushed out of the tower, weapons drawn. Immediately, the monsters focused their fire on us. I felt a light hit to my leg as a laser hit my kneecap. I threw my fan, destroying the offender.

"Hah-hah! Take that, X.A.N.A!" I yelled, ecstatic in my fighting. I saw Ulrich destroy a Block to my right. However, Odd wasn't faring too well.

He had fallen into a trap laid by three Blocks and a Roachster. The monsters were hitting him. Then, I saw his skin start to remove itself, leaving behind a white mesh. He was devirtualized. However, he had gotten one arrow off, which destroyed a Block.

For five minutes this went on. Finally, we managed to secure the tower. There was nothing to do but stand guard, and anyway there was no way monsters could get there that quickly.

"Yumi?" Ulrich asked, and I saw a faint blush on his cheeks. I could feel that it wasn't something he would usually ask, so I decided to risk it.

"Yes, Ulrich?" I asked, feeling butterflies in my stomach. Was he going to ask what I thought he was going to ask?

"Do you... err... Want to go to the prom with me?" he asked. Immediately, I felt my stomach lurch with happiness. I knew that I had always felt for him, but the past three months made our relationship rather... strange. It seemed as though he was expecting something to happen, as though we had gone through a return to the past. But that was impossible, since this was the first activated tower in these three months. (A/N: In the version of events after Ulrich managed to save Yumi, she doesn't know about the pyramid, except what she wrote in her journal.)

"Sure, Ulrich, I'd love to!" I replied enthusiastically.

"You... You mean it, Yumi?" he asked.

"Yes, I mean it, Ulrich." I said, and wrapped her arms around me. Then I leaned in, and felt his lips touch mine. I felt my heart beat faster the longer the kiss lasted. We stayed like this until I felt the familiar sensation of the return trip to the past.

I was in my room, getting dressed for the school prom. It was the next day. Then, I heard the doorbell ring. Ulrich was here already? I wasn't ready yet. I decided to put on my best dress, a black shoulder-less one. I walked down the stairs and opened the door for Ulrich.

I felt Ulrich's lips brush my cheek, and we walked the couple of blocks towards school. Looking up, the moon looked like a large, white circle. When we reached the school, we met up with Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita. Aelita had been materialized for the night, on the grounds that Jeremie felt it a good idea for Aelita to experience a school prom. Perhaps he was right.

Ulrich and I walked to the dance floor. The DJ was playing a slow song. We immediately fell into sync with the music. Suddenly, we heard a loud crash. Looking around, I noticed that Odd had landed on a table and a rather menacing-looking boy was apparently the attacker. I readied myself for a possible fight.

"Yumi, stay here. I'll handle it." Ulrich whispered, walking over to Odd. I saw Ulrich lift the injured boy up. They began talking to each other, but I couldn't hear their words.

Odd charged at his attacker, arm pulled back. The unknown boy grabbed Odd's arm and threw Odd to the ground. Then, the boy twisted my friend's arm, and, when the attacker let go, Odd's arm seemed to be broken. I ran up to Odd and Ulrich, but Ulrich silently motioned for me to not get involved.

Odd threw a leg sweep to try to trip the boy, who easily jumped over the leg. I then heard a loud noise and spotted the headmaster running over. He split the two combatants up, and I let out a sigh of relief. He had at least saved Odd's life.

"Brian, I'm disappointed in you. I told you numerous times not to fight. And Odd, I'm disappointed in you too. You are both suspended from Kadic. Also, you are to leave the premises immediately. I hope this will teach you a lesson." The headmaster said.

"How long are we punished for?" "Brian" asked, a hint of contempt in his voice.

"Until I tell you otherwise." The headmaster said, walking away.

"Alright, you heard him. Get out of here!" Jim yelled.

"But, Jim, I can't walk real well." Odd said.

"I'll take him to the infirmary, Jim." Ulrich volunteered.

"No, the nurse can't mend broken ribs and arms. I'll call the hospital. But it'll be on your expense, Odd." Jim said.

Ulrich lifted Odd and helped him out of the auditorium.

"What was that about, Odd?" Ulrich asked.

"I talked to a girl a few minutes ago. He saw it and got jealous." Odd answered, a hint of pain in his voice.

"Seems a bit dangerous, all this over a girl." Ulrich said, accidentally dropping Odd onto the ground.

"Ah!" Odd yelled, clutching his arm in pain. I saw that Odd smiled slightly. What could _this_ mean? What he hiding something? Did he have feelings for me? What was going on?

We finally reached the infirmary. The nurse, who's name was Dorothy, told us to sit down, and Odd weakly staggered into a chair near the nurse's desk. Ulrich and I sat down behind him near the wall, and Jeremie and Aelita sat off to the side, since they didn't see what had happened. I noticed that the two were blushing so fiercely that I was surprised that Dorothy didn't ask them to have their temperatures measured.

"Hello? I need an ambulance over at Kadic Junior High, I have a student here with what seems to be a broken arm, a fractured leg, and a cracked rib... You're dispatching an ambulance here right now?... Great." Dorothy said.

A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived. We watched as the orderlies put him on a stretcher and carried him into the emergency vehicle.

"I'm sorry, but you kids cannot come. He may have something slightly worse than what the nurse says, and the personnel in the back will be working on trying to find out what it is." One of the orderlies said, and we nodded grimly.

"I hope he'll be all right, Ulrich." I said, and Ulrich nodded grimly. "Well, guys, I'd better head home."

"Bye, Yumi. It was fun being with you." Ulrich said, blushing.

"Bye, Ulrich. Same here." I said, and lightly kissed Ulrich on the cheek.

"Bye, Yumi." Aelita and Jeremie said.

I began heading home. Walking past a small shop, I noticed that I was being followed by a couple of skinheads. Worried that this might be one of X.A.N.A.'s clones, I broke into a run. The skinheads followed. Frantically, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Ulrich's phone number.

"Come on, pick up, Ulrich..." I whispered, before I heard a loud gunshot and felt a sharp pain in my back. Then, everything went dark.

---

A/N: I think that this chapter may have just cleared up what's going on with the clone situation. Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but this was a necessary one since this part is one where the approach I used for the sniper attack wouldn't generate the emotion I want, and I don't want to start mid-chapter narrator changes.


	9. The Meeting of Evil

**Opening Moves**

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A/N: This chapter may seem like filler, but it's an important clarification chapter. This is where everything from the attack on Ulrich and Yumi to the shooting starts to become clearer. However, this chapter will only have two chapters. Also, do not expect Yumi to be awake for several more chapters because I want to solidify this chapter.

Just to clear things up that may be cloudy, Yumi does not know what was supposed to happen during the attack in "Broken Heart", though there will be a point where it is mentioned outside of Ulrich's mind later in the story.

---

Chapter 9

A Meeting of Evil

---

All was quiet in Lyoko. X.A.N.A. wasn't launching an attack, and Aelita was safe in a tower, talking to Jeremie. But, below the visual fabric of Lyoko, a plan that would affect millions was being hatched.

Hiding in a large, black-and-green tower (A/N: similar to the fabric that appeared briefly when the monster's lasers hit the ground), were two figures, that seemed to be dressed in large cloaks. One appeared to be shadow in human form. This was X.A.N.A. himself. The other appeared to be a simple virtualized human. However, this human was stronger than any of the others.

At his side was a long sword that looked like that of a samurai. He also had a large pouch, in which six shuriken were hidden. He was a walking army. But he wouldn't need the weapons, not yet anyway.

"Brian. I trust you have brought me good news from your escapade in the real world." X.A.N.A. said coldly, in a voice that frightened Brian. He knew that his master was very dangerous, and didn't really need him. Brian knew that he was expendable. The only reason he remained with X.A.N.A. was the power that his master had given. Brian had always been teased and ridiculed. However, Brian was naïve. He didn't know that everything came at a price. Never suspecting what he would have to do, Brian accepted X.A.N.A.'s offer of power in exchange for his assistance.

"Yes, I have. The blond warrior is hospitalized, and the girl is too. However, master, I must warn you. Killing them would have put myself and my agents in great risk. They will be back, but not soon. That's plenty of time for me to kill the samurai." Brian said calmly.

"Good. Then everything's going according to plan. I trust you hurt the blond warrior enough for him to require electronic assistance?" X.A.N.A. asked Brian.

"Yes. I hit him in such a way that many vital organs were lacerated. He is on life support right now." Brian said.

"Good. And your agent hurt the girl enough to require life support too. We will have the win this time, my servant. Then we will eliminate that meddlesome program Aelita. She has grated my nerves too often for me to allow her to live. Even if we kill the current warriors, she can recruit new ones if she is alive. Only if she is dead will I be safe." X.A.N.A. said happily, laughing a mirthless laugh.

---

A/N: I'm sorry for the short chapter, but, as I said, this is a transition chapter. The next chapter will be another similar chapter, but it will have some YxU in it.


	10. Ulrich's Sadness

**Opening Moves**

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A/N: This chapter will be narrated by Ulrich, but it won't be following the usual naming convention because this chapter won't be told from Yumi's point of view (after all, she is unconscious at this point) and this state will last for too many chapters for me to backwards.

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Chapter 10

Ulrich's Sadness

---

I was walking to my dorm. The prom had just finished, and the principal had ordered everyone to head in for the night. That's when I heard a loud gunshot. My thoughts immediately jumped to Yumi. She would have been close enough to the school for me to hear a gunshot by her. That means she may well be in danger. I immediately turned to Jeremie.

"Hey, Jeremie, did you hear that?" I asked Jeremie hastily.

"Yes, why?" Jeremie asked questioningly.

"I think Yumi may be in trouble. Can you cover for me with Jim?" I asked nervously. Every second wasted could make more chance that Yumi was getting beaten... or worse, bleeding to death.

"Okay, Ulrich. But I can't buy you much time. Hurry back." Jeremie said, businesslike.

I slipped off into the forest that lined the grounds, careful not to attract any listeners or get caught by Sissy and her gang. Ever since I turned her down, she has been acting angrily towards me. I knew that she wouldn't hesitate to turn me in nowadays.

To be honest, I don't remember much about the dash toward Yumi's house. I was lost in thought throughout the entire run. In fact, I nearly missed that which I had been dreading. Yumi was laying on the concrete, a bullet wound in her stomach. Blood was surrounding her form, and she seemed to be unconscious. I panicked. What should I do? How long had she been laying like this? I should have offered to walk her home. After all, I had an apartment next to hers. Why couldn't I have just done that?

Realizing that I had to do something or my mistake would cost me greatly, I pulled my cell phone and dialed the emergency number (A/N: I want to say 911, but I am not sure if that's the emergency number in France). On the other end, a bored, gruff voice asked me if there was a problem.

"Yeah. A friend of mine is badly injured. It appears to be a gunshot wound to the stomach." I said.

This reply seemed to perk up the man's interest, so he asked "Where are you?" even though it seemed, earlier, that he thought this was a prank call. Maybe that's because of the time of night (it was eleven at night) or because I was calling from a cellular phone.

"Hang on, let me check. I wasn't really paying attention when I found her laying here." I said, walking over to the street sign. "Okay, it's on the corner of 1st and 3rd." (A/N: I don't know any real streets in France, so I just made two up.)

"Okay. We're dispatching an ambulance to pick you two up. If the people on the ambulance give you a hard time, tell them John said you can come." The voice, who I'm guessing was John, said.

"Okay. Thanks for the assistance, sir." I replied. Then I dialed Jeremie's phone number.

"Oh, hey, Ulrich. What's wrong?" Jeremie asked.

"It's Yumi. She's hurt... hurt pretty badly." I said, breaking down into tears. If I had just gone with her, this may not have happened.

"Ulrich, relax. Everything will be fine. You _did_ call the ambulance, right?" Jeremie asked.

"Yes, I did, Jer." I said. That's when I heard the ambulance pull up and begin loading Yumi in. "Well, the ambulance's here. I need to give them some instructions. Can you tell Jim and my teachers that I won't be at Kadic until Yumi's better?"

"Sure thing, Ulrich. But stay on alert. Yumi's a sitting duck right now for a X.A.N.A. attack." Jeremie said.

"Will do, Jer. I'll see you soon." I replied, heading over to the ambulance. The attendants, who apparently had instructions from "John" to let me on, didn't bother me as I boarded the back of the ambulance.

"It's a good thing you found her when you did, kid. I don't know if she would've survived if she had been forced to wait a few more minutes." One of the attendants said, as he bandaged Yumi's wound. I felt a pang of jealousy, but shrugged it off. After all, he was too old.

"Doctor, do you think she'll be okay?" I asked.

"Yes, I really think she will. However, we're putting a twenty-four hour watch on her to make sure she doesn't fall into shock. That's the worst thing that can happen, as I've never seen someone come back after going into shock if it lasts longer than a certain time." The attendant answered.

"By the way, do you think it would be alright if I stay with her until she gets better?" I asked.

"Certainly. But you have to promise not to disturb the doctors while they're working." He said.

"I promise." I answered.

We finally arrived at the hospital, where Yumi and I were taken to a room in the far corridor of the emergency area. There was a glass window, through which I could see six people sitting in chairs, watching Yumi's heart rate. I sat down in a chair in the corner of the room. Sitting still, watching Yumi's limp form, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I realized a minor problem in my arrangements with Jeremie. I couldn't use a cell phone in the hospital. Asking to be excused, I went outside, dialing Jeremie's number.

"Hey, Jer? I just realized a problem. I can't use a cell phone in the hospital." I said.

"Okay, I'll call the hospital and ask to talk to you." Jeremie said, exasperated. He probably would've realized that anyway, but I wasn't thinking normally.

---

A/N: This is to announce that both this story and "Hope Lost" are on a one-week break because I am taking the PSAT on the 16th.


	11. The Battle for Survival

**Opening Moves**

---

A/N: I know I said I'll take a break, but I'm a bit ahead in PSAT studying so I'll post this chapter up for you to read. "Hope Lost" is also a possible go for the next chapter, but doubtful.

As before, this is Ulrich's point of view.

---

Chapter 11

The Battle for Survival

---

I woke up the next day, tired. I had spent a few hours sitting next to Yumi, watching for any changes. Unfortunately, my night watch had caused me to get only three hours of rest. I had awoken only because a nurse came in to tell me that Jeremie was calling.

_"I hope he's just calling to check up on Yumi..."_ I thought nervously. Then I said, "Hey, Jeremie. Anything wrong?"

"I wish I could say no. X.A.N.A.'s launched an attack on the hospital's computer system! Aelita's behind cover, but she needs help quickly." Jeremie said.

"Okay. I'll see what I can do. How's X.A.N.A. doing?" I asked.

"He's stuck on a firewall. Unfortunately, I don't know how long that'll last." Jeremie replied.

I tried to break the door of Yumi's room open. Apparently, the door was computer controlled and was closed. Now what?

Looking around, I spotted a window that led outside. I decided that Yumi could probably survive a few minutes, especially since the hospital doesn't have anything strange other than the locked door... The locked door! I doubt that X.A.N.A. could connect to two computers at once, and the door was closed... So he broke the firewall! That was when I decided to make a drastic decision. I decided to tell the hospital staff to urgently get more protection on the life support computers. Then, I ran for the factory.

"Ulrich, I'm sending you into the forest region. Aelita's currently behind a tree, but the situation is getting very dangerous." Jeremie said. "Head straight for the scanners."

I ran straight for the scanners, eager to go into battle. Why this was, I didn't know. After all, I wasn't bloodthirsty or anything. When I went into the scanner, my fists closed in anger. "X.A.N.A., here I come."

"Transfer, Ulrich." Jeremie said, and then paused for a few seconds. "Scanner Ulrich." Another short pause. "Virtualization!" I felt the familiar rush of air as the scanner readied me for the trip to Lyoko.

I felt me body being converted into data, and then reformatted in Lyoko. When I finished being recreated, I fell to the grassy knoll of the Lyoko platform.

"Aelita is twenty degrees north of you, Ulrich." Jeremie said, and I ran forward. Slowly, I came in sight of the small clearing where the monsters were. Accelerating, I drew my sword.

I jumped onto the head of a Block, yelling "Impact!" Then, I triangulated and destroyed three more monsters. The rest ran away from the battle. "Aelita, is this normal?"

"I don't know, Ulrich. This is the first time this happened..." Aelita said, stepping out from behind a tree. "Usually X.A.N.A. just keeps fighting with no regard to the consequences. Anyway, the tower's this way."

"Right. Stay close, Aelita. We don't want anything to happen, and we need to do this fast." I said.

We ran off to the tower, sticking in a very tight formation. But then we saw something that shocked us. There was a huge hole that looked at though it led into the very code of Lyoko. Everything around it flowed into the hole, giving the scene a very scary appearance.

"Aelita, what is that?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it seems as though this area is corrupted. It looks almost like... Ah!" Aelita said, and then promptly collapsed. Her body seemed to be being pulled into the hole.

"Jeremie, what's going on? What is this?" I asked nervously. I didn't know what would happen if someone were to fall into that hole, but I sure didn't want to test it.

"I don't know. It seems like Lyoko has a virus in it besides X.A.N.A. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a huge virtual battle going on in that hole. I'll scan the area." Jeremie said. "In the meantime, Ulrich, take Aelita and get out of there."

I nodded and took Aelita. Then I ran forward, trying to avoid tripping. The wind from the opening was pulling me further and further into it. A tree ripped out behind me, and then apparently devirtualized.

"Okay, I think I've got it. It was hard to track because it wasn't stored as information, but rather as a video. I think it has to do with the pyramid you used to bring Yumi back." Jeremie said.

_"What!? Jeremie knows about that? When did THAT happen!?"_ I thought to myself.

"It opened up a security hole in the supercomputer, and the hole is under attack by... something. I don't know what it is, but I'd put it higher on the 'so-dangerous-we-need-to-kill-it-before-it-gets-stronger' list than X.A.N.A." Jeremie said.

"Yeah, you're right about that. After all, Lyoko is hard to break. We see that every time a monster misses." I joked.

---

A/N: Sorry for the cliffie, but I don't want to reveal what the new force is. After all, Jeremie is already dead-on with what caused the situation. By now, you should start to see where I'm taking this, so it's not such a hard one to guess.

Anyway, PSATs are over, and the next major exam I have won't be until March. Expect updates on this and "Hope Lost" within the next few days.


	12. Surprising Experience

**Opening Moves**

---

A/N: This chapter is mainly an introduction chapter, and is therefore short. The next chapter will have a rather surprising turn of events. However, don't expect any role for Yumi or Odd until the next sequel, as this arc will end the Opening Moves story.

---

Chapter 12

Surprising Experience

---

I ran, ran, and ran some more. I hoped that the tower hadn't been affected by the warping. If it had, then Yumi, Odd, and the entire hospital was finished. Out of nowhere, a rock went flying at me. Putting Aelita down on the ground, I drew my sword. Then I cut the rock into many pieces.

Aelita began slowly drifting toward the hole, and I noticed that it was growing in size. Desperately, I ran to her, slung her over my shoulders rather roughly, and sprinted off.

"Jeremie, I need some help over here!" I yelled desperately, as my powers weakened. I felt myself slowing rapidly, as the force that was destroying Lyoko slowly weakened the structure. Looking at my hand, I noticed that it had turned into a green mesh for a second.

"Ulrich, I'm having trouble forcing it out of the system. You'll need to get to the nearest unaffected tower. Get out of the forest region. I'll try to reroute X.A.N.A.'s signal to a tower in the desert region. Go there soon as Aelita's back to full health." Jeremie said.

"Will do, Jer." I replied, sprinting off to a tower that I noticed stood right on the edge of the hole. I hoped desperately that the hole wouldn't spread into the tower. That would mean that we'd be trapped there as it slowly got reformatted... And us with it!

Suddenly, the ground ripped apart. Trees flew up into the sky, where they promptly shrunk into data and flowed into the hole. I leaped over the gap that was forming, and managed to grasp a ledge. Aelita began to split into 1's and 0's, and then return to her usual self. I was sure that the same was happening to me.

"Ulrich, the signal's been transferred." Jeremie said.

"Good. I'm in a bit of a tight spot here, though." I said, grunting as I tried to pull both myself and Aelita onto the platform with one hand. Around me, rocks were falling into the abyss that was forming. As they fell, they were deleted. I felt a strong pull on me, as the powerful force dragged me further into it.

---

_Jeremie_

---

I watched in horror at the screen. Ulrich and Aelita were about to fall into the gap that was forming, and I couldn't do anything. Wait... There _was _something I could do. I remembered that I had created a program to control the scanners remotely. I could virtualize myself with it and help Ulrich!

Plugging my laptop into the lab supercomputer, I began to transfer the program onto it. "Ulrich, hang on. I'm taking the plunge." I said, trying to shake the fear out of my voice. What if the program didn't work? I had never tested it before. Still, I decided to press on. There was never a better time to test it than now.

I watched frantically, urging the data transfer to finish. When it did, I immediately loaded it into the scanner's memory. Then I set the coordinates. The program would activate the moment it detected a new body in the scanner.

I ran into the elevator, going down to the scanner room. I had established a combat avatar for myself, and uploaded it into memory as well. Fearfully, almost reluctantly, I stepped into Odd's scanner. Immediately, the program began the virtualization.

"Transfer. Scanner. Virtualization." The computer said mechanically. Immediately, there was a powerful gust of wind, and I felt my hair fly up. Then I was virtualized.

---

A/N: I hope that was a satisfactory introduction to the next chapter. Don't worry, I will explain the hole in Lyoko very soon.


	13. Voice's Ultimatum

**Opening Moves**

---

Chapter 13

Voice's Ultimatum

---

Jeremie felt himself become formed in Lyoko. Slowly but surely, the bytes that composed his avatar were fitted together. Apparently, the program was a huge memory hog, enough to slow the scanners down dramatically. Well, it was just for this once...

---

Meanwhile, I was busy hanging onto the ledge, though it would soon vanish. My time was short. That's when I saw Jeremie running toward me, dressed in what looked like very crazy-style camouflage clothing and what looked like a sickle being carried by a holster.

"Jeremie, what's going on in the real world?" I asked, thrusting Aelita towards Jeremie. Taking the hint, he helped pull her to the surface.

"Not good, Ulrich. X.A.N.A.'s managed to take over the life support system, but hasn't managed to stop it yet. I think the nurses may have something to do with it." Jeremie said.

"Jeremie, run. Get Aelita to the tower. I'll hold on... A little more." I said.

"But, Ulrich..." Jeremie said.

_ "Just go, Jeremie! Now's not the time to argue!"_ I shouted, and regretted it. But, thankfully, Jeremie began running toward the tower.

Suddenly, everything stopped. I felt myself falling, yet I could still see my hand on the ledge... Wait, there was no ledge! What in the world?

"Do not panic, Ulrich." A voice said, which, contrary to what the voice thought, was not as easy.

That's when I noticed something. I was wearing my real clothes, and apparently I wasn't in my Lyoko avatar anymore.

"Wh- Who are you?" I asked, trying not to go crazy.

"I am the being whose pyramid you used. I have come to claim the price, in exchange for another reward." It said.

"Can you please not talk in such a cryptic language?" I requested, this time politely.

"The price is your life, and the reward is the survival of those you hold dear. I will grant you the reward first, and will not take it back, but I warn you: taking advantage of my kindness will have very unpleasant consequences." The voice said.

"What do you mean, 'the survival of those you hold dear'? What is the end of the outright decline?" I asked, upset that it was bartering human lives, and forcing me to chose.

"If you decline outright, I will let the situation take it's course. The virus will destroy the forest region, but nothing further, for it is X.A.N.A.'s puppet. Jeremie and Aelita will go with it. With no one to stop the attack, Yumi and Odd will die. You as well. As we speak, your body is falling into the virus. If you accept or delay the acceptance, I will stop the attack myself."

"I... Would like the extra time to think." I replied.

"Very well." It said, and I felt a large wind go through my hair. My body started ripping apart and reforming... Somewhere. Then I was back in Lyoko.

"I thought he said that he would stop the attack..." I muttered, but it clearly wasn't so. However, it did appear that the only thing similar here was that Yumi and Odd weren't in Lyoko, presumably still at the hospital, as well as the fact that I was surrounded by trees.

"Ulrich, watch out. You've got three Blocks, coming in from your right." Jeremie said.

"Three Blocks? That's good. I thought it would be more." I said, drawing my sword. "Triplicate!" Then I split into three copies of myself, and sent the copies to destroy the Blocks, with me providing support. Rapidly, the Blocks were reduced to nothing, with the only casualties being the copies. "Aelita, your tower is waiting."

"Thanks for clearing the road, Ulrich." She said, running into the tower.

Suddenly, I heard Jeremie tell me that a Crab was advancing towards me, but I didn't notice. I was too busy thinking about the voice's ultimatum. Vaguely, I realized that I was standing it the edge of the platform, but it was too late. The Crab's laser had struck me in the stomach, and I was falling... Falling... Into the digital void.

---

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I am unsure of where to take this now. I can either have Aelita enter the code in time to save Ulrich, or have him fall into the digital void for real. This is the point where I ask the reader's opinion, so please tell me.


	14. Yumi's Pain and Recovery

**Opening Moves**

---

A/N: This chapter will start off third-person to summarize what happened between the end of 13 and this one, and then will switch to Yumi's point of view.

---

Chapter 14

Yumi's Pain… and Recovery

---

After the battle in the forest, the situation got tense. Ulrich had, for some reason, not appeared in the scanners. However, the scanner reported that everyone had made it. Had he been released somewhere else?

For hours Jeremie searched for him, and found nothing. Meanwhile, Yumi had woken up, and he couldn't hide his disappearance from her. It would add yet another complication to the given situation.

---

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital. Apparently, something terrible had happened. Many of the nurses were running, panicked, trying to save patients. Had there been a power outage?

That's when I noticed that Jeremie was here, and apparently he looked grim. This meant that there wasn't anything going on in Lyoko. But… Wait, where was Ulrich?

"Hey, Jeremie." I said, and grimaced slightly. Apparently, the bullet wound still hurt.

"Hey, Yumi. We have a problem." He said. Immediately, I looked up. "While you were unconscious, X.A.N.A. launched an attack, and it turns out that Ulrich… That Ulrich…"

"That Ulrich what, Jeremie?" I snapped. Instantly, I regretted it, but, then again, I was frustrated.

"That Ulrich disappeared. I think he's in the digital void." Jeremie said, and tears started flowing down his cheeks.

I tried to keep myself from crying, but couldn't. So tears were streaming down my face. Why had this happened? Then I felt a sharp pain in my gut.

_ "Aaaaaaaah!"_ I exclaimed from the pain.

---

A few days after that, I was released from the hospital. In celebration, Mother and Father and I went to a restaurant. But all that was on my mind was Ulrich, and that made it quite a hassle to order.

"Yumi, please order something. The waiter's running out of patience." Mother said, slightly concerned. I had never taken this long.

"I'll just order whatever you order, Mom." I replied, startling her. I had always either called her _okaasan_ or Mother since I turned thirteen.

"Okay, Yumi. Well, I'll just have chicken. Is that alright?" she asked.

"Mmm…" I sounded, and I felt three tears well up in my eyes. Oops, that wasn't good. Now I couldn't pretend that Ulrich was just away on leave or something like that.

"What's wrong, Yumi?" Father asked.

"It's… It's Ulrich. He hasn't been seen for the past few days, and Jeremie thinks he's… He's…" I said, and started crying. "Dead."

---

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but there's not much left to say in this chapter without switching viewpoints again.


	15. Betrayal

**Opening Moves**

---

A/N: This chapter is going to be from the point of view of Brian, the one who was revealed as a spy for X.A.N.A. Although there isn't going to be much action in this chapter, it is a necessary one.

---

Chapter 15

Betrayal

---

This seems rather strange. X.A.N.A. has been increasingly agitated. Is it possible that the war is going poorly? And which one?

I was in my quarters in Lyoko. It was a large room, located in the Main Lyoko Tower. The only room larger than my own was X.A.N.A.'s. I had everything I could have wanted just by submitting to the computer virus. My strength had multiplied several times. However, something didn't seem right. What was the virus planning? And what was the strange force that took over Lyoko a week ago?

That was the only time I felt fear since I had submitted control over my body. However, since I was only a partially infected by the biological form of X.A.N.A., I was able to keep my emotions.

Apparently, the virus trusted me. This meant that I had a big advantage over it. I could simply devirtualize and contact Jeremie. But that would alert X.A.N.A. about my intentions… No, I'll have to contact the one called Aelita.

Upon ending my monologue, I got up from the ground, and placed my sword into my holster. I also placed six shuriken into my pouch.

That's when I realized the major flaw in my plan. The virus is able to see through my eyes, hear through my ears, and think through my brain. Therefore, it'll be hard to hide my intentions. Still, I had to risk it. I had seen what X.A.N.A. was capable of. It was powerful enough to be a danger to itself, and had to be stopped.

I decided to take the window, as there was less chance of being spotted by any of the programs that inhabited the Main Lyoko Tower. Quickly, I vanished into the fabric of Lyoko.

A few minutes later, I arrived in one of the minor towers. Immediately, I left it, and appeared in the forest region. That's when I noticed six Crabs heading towards me.

I knew that the Crabs would spot me, and that stealth was useless. My transfer must've altered the omnipotent virus to my movement. Deciding that hiding my plan any further was futile, I drew my sword. It glowed bluish-green, and had two snakes intertwining around the hilt. Then, I rushed at the Crabs, jumped onto the first one's head, and plunged my sword into the X.A.N.A. eye. Then I jumped to the next one, repeating it. Then, I repeated it one last time, and jumped effortlessly to the forest floor.

That's when I spotted the flash of pink hair. My intuition was right, and I landed in front of the female program.

"Hello, Aelita." I said, and then realized that my sword was still drawn from my fight with the Crabs. "_Woops, not a good idea, Brian._" I thought, sheathing the sword.

"Y- You're one of X.A.N.A.'s cronies, aren't you? What do you want?" she stammered, apparently afraid of me.

"That is partially correct, Aelita. I _was_ one of his cronies. But I want to leave his side. His plans are growing ever more extreme. One day, at this rate, he will destroy humanity. Honestly, when I joined him, I thought it was a game. But everything I've done in his service seemed morally wrong. What actually did it for me was my attack on the spiky-haired boy. After that, X.A.N.A. seemed to become more and more evil." I said.

"If what you're saying is true, we may have a very big problem on our hands. Ulrich is missing, and the remaining fighters aren't in any condition to fight. You'll have to take over for now." She said, and I nodded. I knew that my decision to fight that malevolent computer virus wouldn't work perfectly.

That's when I noticed that there was a group of Blocks lining the ridge, and that all of them were training their sights on us.

"Aelita, get down! Blocks!" I yelled, as twenty or so lasers whizzed by our heads.

Then I drew one of my shuriken. Of course, the shuriken alone wouldn't be enough, but I did have two weapons. I began aiming the shuriken, rapidly and cautiously. I had enough experience with my shuriken to allow me to hit a moving target at any range, even if the target was getting ready for it's next volley.

Then I let fly with it at the nearest Block. I watched with a slight sense of satisfaction as it exploded.

"Aelita, take cover behind a tree. I'll cover you." I said, as I drew a second shuriken.

---

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I've been having little motivation to finish the story lately. I guess it's because I rarely get to watch Code Lyoko anymore, so I start wondering if I'm IC or not.


	16. Ulrich's Return Ulrich

**Opening Moves**

-

Chapter 16

Ulrich's Return - Ulrich

-

_"Ugh, where am I?" _I thought groggily, my eyes fluttering open. It looked as though I was in space, only there were no stars. My breath seemed to get stuck in my throat, causing pain.

"Ah, so you're finally awake." Came a strange, reverberating voice. It seemed similar to the strange thing I saw after getting Aelita to Jeremie before falling… Wait, was I in the Void? "No, you are not in the Void. I see that my contacting you then was a big mistake. If I had not caught you in this energy bubble, you would have been out of my reach."

"And that would somehow hurt your 'master plan', X.A.N.A?" I asked coldly.

"Yes, Ulrich, it would. However, I am not X.A.N.A. I am the being that was destroying Lyoko. That was my last hope to crush the evil. But it failed. The evil was too resourceful, there in it's own home. Ulrich, your friends need you. However, I will give you a power that will help you defeat the enemy. Only use it if you need to and it's not too risky. Using it while virtualized will devirtualize you. Even worse, if you use it in the real world, you will be killed." It said.

"So then why give it to me?" I asked.

"Ah, in a questioning mood, are you? It is because it is needed in order to stop the evil. Even if you unplug X.A.N.A, it will not help in the least. The evil that I fear is stronger than anything in this world. It is not something that can be trapped. What I fear can even destroy the entire planet, and I don't mean Lyoko."

"Will I be able to see everyone if I accept?" I asked.

"Of course, Ulrich."

"Very well. I accept it."

Immediately, the blackness of the world around me turned into bright white. It enveloped me completely. I felt my clothes changing. The clothes I wore in Lyoko turned darker, more armored, more foreboding. My katana grew longer, more pronounced. Then a strange mark was burned onto my forehead, a deformed circle.

Then everything went black.

-

When I awoke, I was in Lyoko again. A strange person wearing ninja clothes was throwing shuriken at Blocks and trying to deflect a bunch of lasers, but a few hit him. Aelita was hiding behind a tree, but would be spotted the moment the ninja was devirtualized.

Immediately, I snapped out my katana, feeling and savoring the blade gliding in my hilt. "Triplicate!" I felt myself divide into three copies of myself. All three of me jumped up, landed on a Block, stabbed it's eye, and leaped off, all in the time it took to turn your head.

All three Blocks exploded. Instantly, a hail of lasers flew at me, and I arced in the air to dodge them. I landed effortlessly on two feet, and deflected two lasers. All of them bounced off my sword and hit the bulls-eye on the Blocks, destroying those two as well. The rest retreated into the Tower, presumably to report to their master.

"Not bad at all, Ulrich." The ninja said, and I realized that he was the boy who had hurt Odd. I turned on him, trying to hit him, but he dodged.

"You're one of X.A.N.A.'s cronies, aren't you?" I demanded, anger building in me. He was part of the reason my best friend was in the hospital. He was a spy!

"I was, Ulrich, but not anymore. Now put the sword away. You may be stronger than before, but I can still defeat you." He said.

"Okay." I said, reluctantly sheathing my blade. "Now, what are you pulling?"

"I already told you, I am no longer working for X.A.N.A. He has been growing in power, as I'm sure you noticed, what with the energy clash." He said.

"That was not just X.A.N.A. There's another evil, more powerful than him. I think that that evil is what held X.A.N.A. at bay." I said.

"Hmm…" he said, obviously dumbfounded by the idea of a being more powerful than X.A.N.A. "Now that you mention it, he did mention something about the 'Arrival of Shadow' in one of my conversations…"

"What did he mean?"

"I am unsure, Ulrich. The Shadow, however, must be the force that Galotos told you about."

"Galotos?"

"The force that stopped you from falling into the Void. It acts as a subordinate program to the supercomputer, so it has the same powers to manipulate the real world as X.A.N.A. does. However, he has greater power, even if the power is limited. If he were to use his full power, Galotos would kill every program here. However, he cannot do this unless the Shadow is gone, for it is not bound to the supercomputer as X.A.N.A. is. He would leave the planet defenseless."

"I see…"

-

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but a lot has been happening, what with midterms, a program I want to get into, and my plans to go to Japan for one year as an exchange student.


	17. Brian's Fall

**Opening Moves**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 17

Brian's Fall - Brian

* * *

I watched Ulrich with interest as he told me about the Galatos's powers. However, I didn't allow myself to get carried away with it. X.A.N.A. obviously was not very happy with my betrayal, and would probably attack soon.

Sure enough, the sky turned the reddish-black color that surrounds the Main Lyoko Tower. Slowly, a shape formed from the darkness, one that I had only seen in his signal transfer mode. It was a huge dragon, one with the Lyoko eye on it's forehead. It was X.A.N.A. He had gained full power.

"So, Brian. After everything I did for you, you betray me. Now, it's time to die." the dragon said, smirking darkly.

"I won't let you!" Ulrich exclaimed, drawing his katana and entering his stance. At the same time, I drew my own katana, and assumed my own stance.

The dragon started showering us with fireballs, which we dodged akwardly. They seemed to home in to us, so I decided to block instead of dodge. But one fireball struck me in the chest, sending me crashing into a tree.

"Last chance, Brian. Give up. You won't devirtualize if you die, because I put a security program on your avatar. If you were devirtualized by me, it will be as though you really were killed." X.A.N.A. said, laughing maniacally.

I charged the dragon, my sword out and ready, but it quickly batted me down with pinpoint accuracy and high speed, sending me back down to the ground. I coughed out... Blood. That's strange... I guess that what he said was true. So it really was the end for me...

Jumping up, I threw six shuriken at the dragon, and they embedded themselves in the monster's flesh. It then whipped it's tail down, sending me back to the ground with a bang. I felt several bones shatter.

"Brian, it is futile." the dragon said, and Ulrich moved in front of me protectively, but I waved for him to stop.

"This is between him and myself, Ulrich. Your friends need you. Go to them." I said sternly, and the boy, who had been my enemy for so long, complied. He stabbed himself in the stomach, devirtualizing himself. "Now, it's just you and me, X.A.N.A. You and me."

At this, the dragon smirked, before showering me with fire once more. Unable to dodge, they all hit me, causing me to cough up more blood. My vision started getting fuzzier and fuzzier, but I realized the only way to defeat him. I would have to merge my data with his own. Because we were incompatible, his code would break apart.

I drew my katana, and stabbed myself in the eye. At the same time, I yelled "Code Merger!" Immediately, my body started to reformat, flowing into the powerful monster. It's scales started glowing... And then the monster exploded in a shower of pixels.

* * *

I found myself in an empty, white area of Lyoko. The void. I knew that soon my hour of deletion would come, as the computer was very punctual in it's maintenance procedure. Soon I would be gone forever. Frantically, I began to back up my data onto an unaccessible part of the supercomputer's hard drive. I then bundled it so that I would retain my memories, and, when all of the Lyoko fighters' data was accessed simultaneously, I would activate and tell them everything about X.A.N.A.'s plans.

Eventually, I began to be deleted. First, my arms vanished, then my legs, then my torso, and finally my head. All I could do is watch my body turn into pixels... And then watch them vanish. But I did not delude myself into believing that the war was over.

X.A.N.A. was still alive, that much I knew for certain. He would be terribly weakened for some time, but he would be back. All I could do was wait... And hope.

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the lack of updates here as well, but I've been having trouble figuring out how to end Opening Moves.

Anyway, this is the last chapter of this particular installment. The next one will focus on what happens as the story reaches it's conclusion.

Note, however, that the next one will be very tragic towards the end. While I'm not going to spoil it, there will be the permanent death of one of the main characters, and the story will not end with all four of the heroes being rewarded.


End file.
